Means for promoting combustion of fuel.



APPLICATION TILED AUG. 15, 1904.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

WITNESSES Aiming 8 PATENTBD MAY 2, 1905.

I. A. TIMM-IS. MEANS FOR PROMOTING COMBUSTION OF FUEL.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 15, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

MAX

WITNESSES I Atlorney s UNTTED STATES Patented May 2, -1 905.

PATENT Oriucn.

MEANS FOR PROMOTING COMBUSTION OF FUEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 789,108, dated May 2, 1905.

Original application filed May 7, 1904, Serial No. 206,894. Divided and this application filed August 15, 1904. Serial No. 220,790.

To all whom, it 71207 concern:

Be it known that I, ILLIUs AUGUSTUS TIM- MIS, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at London, in the county of Middle sex, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in Means for Promoting Oombustion of Fuel, of which the following is a specification.

This application is a division of application filed by me May 7, 1904, Serial No. 206,894.

This invention has relation to locomotive and other boilers, and has for its object the provision of a novel means for promoting perfect combustion of fuel in the fire-box, to

I effect economy in fuel consumption, the elimination of sparks and smoke, saving in cleaning tubes, and also for permitting the use of low-grade fuel.

In accomplishing the objects of my invention I introduce air under pressure into the combustion-chamber of a boiler in the form of a broad film extending across the chamber and so directed and controlled that it offers resistance to the passage of particles of unconsumed carbon and turns them back into the zone of combustion and affords a supply of oxygen that promotes perfect combustion of the carboncharged gases from the fuel.

Attempts have heretofore been made to project a film of air across the combustionchamber of a furnace for the purpose of promoting perfect combustion, but without ef fective results, and I have found that the difficulty has been owing, first, to the defective construction of the devices for admitting the air to the combustion-chamber, and, secondly, and particularly in the case of locomotiveboiler furnaces, because of the suction in the blast-exhaust chamber and tubes which was opposed to the insuflicient pressure of the air used to produce the film or sheet in the combustion-chamber. The high steam-pressure generally used in locomotive-boilers (say about two hundred pounds) causes such a sharp suction force in the exhaust-chamber and tubes that this force amounts to from thirty-eight to fortytwo pounds per square foot, while the airpressure generated by the forward motion of the locomotive and conveyed to the combustion-chamber by air-catchers and connections is not more than ten to twelve pounds per square foot, this low pressure being due in part to the location of the air-catchers. I find as a consequence that it is necessary to introduce the film of air across the fire-box at a greater pressure than that of the suction generated in the blast-chambersay using one hundred and fifty pounds steam at a pressure of forty-five pounds per square foot and to obtain such pressure that a blower or other means for producing the required pressure must be used. I have found, moreover, that the film or baffle-plate of air injected into and across the fire-box must be a definite and regulatable thickness and that slight variations very materially affect if not wholly destroy the effect.

In carrying my invention into effect I employ a peculiar form and construction of airguides consisting of fiat plates converging to form a narrow slit or mouth at their upper ends and surmounted by fire-clay blocks to protect the lips from contact with the flames and direct the film across the fire-box. The

' thickness of the film of air is regulated by the distance between the metal lips instead of being regulated by the distance between the fire-clay protecting-blocks, and when so protected as above the lips of the metal plates or guides remain at the same distance apart. When as heretofore constructed the airguides have had the lips for controlling or regulating the thickness of the air film or sheet at the ends of the fire-clay blocks, the latter by being melted became useless.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of a locomotive fire-box with my improved air-guides in position, and Figs. 2, 3, and 4 are longitudinal sections of modifications. Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of a locomotive fire-bOX, illustrating means for forcing a blast both into and below the-combustion-chamber.

B designates the shell of the boiler of a locomotive-engine; F, the fire-box; D, the door, and G the grate-bars; H, the ash-pan, and I the door of the latter.

C C designate two castings arranged along the rear wall of the fire-box, one being fixed in an upright position against the rear wall and the other being fixed a short distance in front of the same and arranged with its lower part extending down some distance into the ash-pit. The castings C C are contracted at their upper ends to form lips, as shown at a a, between which is provided a narrow elongated space forming a mouth, through which the air leading in between the castings from below is contracted, so as to form a thin sheet or film. Upon and secured to the castings are arranged the fireclay blocks D D having their inner opposing faces curved so as to direct the film of air toward and across the fire-box, these curved surfaces gradually diverging from each other, so as to not obstruct the fiow of air. The space between the lips a a is carefully determined and regulated to produce the required film, sheet, or blanket of air, the thickness of which does not in any way depend upon the distance apart of the fire-clay surfaces, and as the lips a a/ are protected by the blocks the width of the space between will remain constant, whereas if the lips were formed on the fire-clay blocks the latter, by reason of their disintegration, would soon vary in shape and the space become too wide.

As previously indicated, I employ a forced draft or pressure of air to be conveyed between the castings C C and into the fire-box, and this may be produced by a blower E, operated from the axles of the locomotive, or by a small stationary engine, or by any other suitable ower. The forced blast of air is led from the blower through the conduits G into the space between the castings C C, and so upward between the lips a a.

By another method or variation of means I make the air-guides as follows: Instead of castings and fire-clay blocks (shown in Figs. 1 and 3) I fit (see Fig. 2) a hollow arch or baffie-plate A of metal'plates and another hollow guide or bridge plate B. Both these communicate with the boiler and contain water from it. They may be made so that they can be cleaned out from the side of the boiler by removing a specially-constructed coveringplate on the outside of the fire-box part of the boiler opposite to their junction with the boiler. To insure a proper circulation of water, the bottom of each must be connected top of the boiler. The feed-water into the boiler may be sent through either or both of these hollow water-chambers. One or more similarly-constructed hollow metal chambers may be fitted in the upper part of the fire-- box to act as baffie-plates and connected with the boiler in its upper part and containing steam or water and steam and may be (see Fig. 2) connected with the bottom baf fie-plate A. It is clear that the lower hollow chambers add largely to the water-heat1ng surface, and the top ones act as superheaters.

Another variation is as follows: I use a forced draft, as above described, but in two ways or directionsinone direction between the air-guides to form a film of fresh air (heated or cold) above the fuel and in the other direction into a closed air-tight ashpan directed through the fuel or through hollow fire-bars.

In using this invention on stationary boilers Figs. 3 and 4 explain the fitting of a fineboiler, where P is the pipe conveying the forced draft through the nozzle N and up through the lips C C of the metal guides at the front of the bridge B in the direction of the arrow A. This bridge may be a hollow metal casing containing boiler-water, and an arrangement, as in Fig. 4, may be fitted, where B and C both contain boilerwater. A forced double draft-may be fitted here also one over the fuel and one through it. In stationary boilers the forced draft may be obtained from any fitted source of power.

The following are the advantages of the system: first, elimination of smoke and sparks; second, in locomotives the preserva tion of the tube-plate; third, absence of carbon deposits in tubes and fines; fourth, superheating; fifth, greater efficiency of heat ing-surface; sixth, saving in labor; seventh, saving in coal.

Having described my invention, Icla1m and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. The combination with the combustionchamber of a locomotive or other engine provided with a blastexhaust, of means for forcing air into and across said chamber in the form of a film or sheet, under a pressure in excess of said blast-exhaust and cutting the gaseous currents, at a suitable angle.

2. In a boiler-furnace, having a blast-exhaust, the combination with the combustionchamber, and grate-bars, of air-guides having contracted lips, forming an elongated airchannel, located at the exit end of the combustion-chamber above the grate-bars, and means for forcing air through'said air-channel at a pressure exceeding the suction force of the exhaust, the air forced through the airguides being caused to enter the combustionchamber in a direction opposite to the flow of the gases therefrom.

ITO

3. The combination with the cbmbustionof July, 1904, in the presence of two Witchamber of a furnace having an exhaustnesses.

blast of means for forcing air into the 00mbustion-chamber above and below the fire- ILLIUS AUGUSTUS TIMMIS 5 bars at a pressure exceeding the suction force Witnesses:

of the exhaust. C. W. TIMMIS,

Signed at London, England, this 26th day J. H. W. ROUND. 

